Have you ever had a moment where you wanted to quote yourself? I had one of those today. I was texting my friend about some personal stuff and I had a few revelations. Let me just type them out for you...
"Grace and forgiveness are things we need a better understanding of. If we truly understood those two things we wouldn't beat ourselves up over stuff and we would be able to move on and receive God's best for us because we would know we are worth it and we deserve it. But because we don't accept God's grace we live with this feeling of inadequacy, always reverting back to what we know is unhealthy because we feel that it's all we deserve."
Now, how many of you can identify with that? The mind is a curious thing. Your greatest asset and yet your worst enemy. You can either use your mind or let it use you. If you don't control your thoughts, they will dictate who you are. Who you think you are is who you will be. Take a second and listen to your thoughts. We don't do that often enough. Take a little listen to the things you say to yourself. Are they positive and encouraging? Are they pessimistic? Angry? Depressed? Spiteful? Do they build you up or tear you down? Your thoughts have so much power and most of us don't use them to our advantage, we let them direct us.
2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Now that tells us that we do in fact have the ability to control our thoughts. And our thoughts have a huge impact on our feelings and emotions, which in turn dictate what we say and do. Now who would love to able to control what comes out of their mouth more effectively? It's like the toothpaste analogy, once you squeeze it out you can't get it back in! You can't take back the things you say, no matter how hard you try. I would love to be able to completely control the things I say. It all starts in your thought life.
Now, how do you start controlling your thought life? Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." How do you renew your mind? You read His Word. You put good things into your head rather than worldly things. Try turning off the radio for a while. What you see is what you'll think about. What you hear is what you'll think about. What are you looking at? What are you listening to? You have the ability to control those things, which means you have the ability to control your thought life. This isn't to say that we should always be in control of everything, because ultimately God is the one in control. But He has given us the ability to guard our minds and our hearts by using our own God-given discretion.
How is your thought life these days?
A friend of mine said today, "I have to talk myself up because I can't count on other people to make me feel good about myself." I think that's a lot of people's mentalities, and yet, we still judge ourselves and beat ourselves up over the past. Over our flaws. Over our bad decisions. I say it's time to move on, move forward. To forget what is behind and press on toward what is ahead, as Paul states in Philippians. Let's stop thinking about the negative and focus on the positive.
My challenge for you: How are you going to begin to [or more closely] monitor your thought life?
You can do it, I believe in you! Start small, but start now. Don't wait. Remember, the turtle won the race! Keep it slow and steady. =)
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Everything happens for a reason
I went to Creation yesterday and I had a total God moment...
I am sitting on the grass in this huge crowd of people and we're all holding lit candles. The man on stage says, "If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and you believe that He is the light of the world raise your candle high in the air!" Almost everyone in the audience raises their candles and starts cheering. I felt a sense of unity in the body of Christ that I have never felt before. One purpose. One goal. One body. It was incredible. I hate being the person that says I almost cried (because if you didn't actually cry then it must not have been that moving), but this is an instance where I just need to say it...I almost cried. Almost.
I remember last year at Creation (when it was at the Gorge) sitting on a hillside overlooking the river and watching the sunset. I got out my journal and wrote a letter/poem for my future husband. (I know that sounds cheesy and weird, but if you're a girl, you probably know someone who does that or you have done it yourself. Some guys do it too, actually) If you haven't ever thought about writing to or praying for your future husband or wife, you should. You never know where they're at in life or what they're going through. I have been praying for my husband since I was 16. I know that God is raising up a man after His own heart for me and I believe my prayers have made a difference and continue to make a difference.
Ladies (well guys too, actually)...don't settle. God cares about the little things. The thing your friends might call "stupid" or "unrealistic" or "idealistic", God wants to make those things happen for you. Don't be afraid to pass up someone who is theoretically perfect for you because the "spark" just isn't there. That's okay! There are so many people in this world, that isn't the only person that's ever going to love you! I know it seems like if you pass up a great guy or girl, you might not get another chance. You might think, "Well what if no one else ever falls in love with me? What if no one else ever wants to be with me?" That is unrealistic. Out of the millions of people in the world your age, you think that no one else will want to be with you? Yeah, that's what I thought. Unrealistic.
The bottom line is, we need to be content where we're at. If you're single, there's a reason for it. Everything happens for a reason. If you're dating, there's a reason for that as well. In every season of life, there's things to be learned. A mistake is nothing but an opportunity in disguise. Let's choose to learn from our mistakes. Let's choose to take our experiences and use them to benefit others. Let's not be selfish with the things we've learned, the knowledge we've accumulated, the love that we know in Christ.
I would ask you this: What challenging situation or person are you going to embrace as an opportunity to better yourself or someone else?
God says He works everything together for good for those who love Him. Every trying situation can be used for something good, something beautiful. Remember that we see the temporary and God sees the eternal. He has the bigger picture in mind at all times. He is always looking out for your best interest because He loves you SO much! Never forget that--God is always looking out for you. Always. You never leave His mind.
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
I am sitting on the grass in this huge crowd of people and we're all holding lit candles. The man on stage says, "If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and you believe that He is the light of the world raise your candle high in the air!" Almost everyone in the audience raises their candles and starts cheering. I felt a sense of unity in the body of Christ that I have never felt before. One purpose. One goal. One body. It was incredible. I hate being the person that says I almost cried (because if you didn't actually cry then it must not have been that moving), but this is an instance where I just need to say it...I almost cried. Almost.
I remember last year at Creation (when it was at the Gorge) sitting on a hillside overlooking the river and watching the sunset. I got out my journal and wrote a letter/poem for my future husband. (I know that sounds cheesy and weird, but if you're a girl, you probably know someone who does that or you have done it yourself. Some guys do it too, actually) If you haven't ever thought about writing to or praying for your future husband or wife, you should. You never know where they're at in life or what they're going through. I have been praying for my husband since I was 16. I know that God is raising up a man after His own heart for me and I believe my prayers have made a difference and continue to make a difference.
Ladies (well guys too, actually)...don't settle. God cares about the little things. The thing your friends might call "stupid" or "unrealistic" or "idealistic", God wants to make those things happen for you. Don't be afraid to pass up someone who is theoretically perfect for you because the "spark" just isn't there. That's okay! There are so many people in this world, that isn't the only person that's ever going to love you! I know it seems like if you pass up a great guy or girl, you might not get another chance. You might think, "Well what if no one else ever falls in love with me? What if no one else ever wants to be with me?" That is unrealistic. Out of the millions of people in the world your age, you think that no one else will want to be with you? Yeah, that's what I thought. Unrealistic.
The bottom line is, we need to be content where we're at. If you're single, there's a reason for it. Everything happens for a reason. If you're dating, there's a reason for that as well. In every season of life, there's things to be learned. A mistake is nothing but an opportunity in disguise. Let's choose to learn from our mistakes. Let's choose to take our experiences and use them to benefit others. Let's not be selfish with the things we've learned, the knowledge we've accumulated, the love that we know in Christ.
I would ask you this: What challenging situation or person are you going to embrace as an opportunity to better yourself or someone else?
God says He works everything together for good for those who love Him. Every trying situation can be used for something good, something beautiful. Remember that we see the temporary and God sees the eternal. He has the bigger picture in mind at all times. He is always looking out for your best interest because He loves you SO much! Never forget that--God is always looking out for you. Always. You never leave His mind.
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Don't judge a book by its cover
As long as we're on the subject of love, insecurity and that sort of thing, I thought I would address a couple more issues. If you ever have any suggestions or questions, leave a comment and I'll be sure to answer.
Now, let's talk about confidence. I had a conversation with my friend today about low self-esteem and insecurity, and it made me wonder how many people out there are cripplingly insecure. How many girls are only pretending to be outgoing and bold? How many guys cover up insecurity with a macho man attitude? Which of the "popular girls" in school really are all they're cracked up to be? How do you know who's really confident and who's faking it? Now, I'm not going to answer all of these questions, because I don't have all the answers. I merely want to discuss some of the how's and why's of these questions.
Why are people insecure? Why do we care so much about what other people think of us? I have been thinking lately about how much we live our lives based on what other people will think of us. If we honestly didn't care at all what people thought of us, we would probably wear the same two pairs of jeans and our three favorite shirts every day of the week! We would still shower and be clean, but ladies, we probably wouldn't blow dry our hair hardly ever (I guess that applies to some guys as well, no shame on you), we wouldn't take the time to straighten it, we wouldn't wear makeup, we wouldn't care about the brand on our clothes, we probably wouldn't even carry a purse anymore because we wouldn't need all the hairspray, lipgloss, chapstick, hair-ties, and things we use it for. Now that's if we absolutely did not care one bit about what people thought about us. Now, that isn't logical. It's healthy to value other's opinions to a point. I would not recommend saying, "Screw you!" to the world and doing whatever you want whenever you want because you just don't care. Not the point here.
My point is, we should ask ourselves this question: How much do you live your life based on what other people will think?
Some people live their lives not thinking too much about building character or becoming a better person. They are who they are and they're fine with that. I am not like that. I am extremely introspective, constantly analyzing why I do what I do, what are my flaws and strengths, how can I grow and become a better person. The negative side of being that way is that I tend to over analyze, and sometimes I forget that not everyone is like me. So I am here to help you think outside of your box. Outside of your comfort zone. It's not comfortable thinking about who you really are sometimes.
I have a theory...I think almost everyone has little broken parts inside of them that they rarely let people see. You're either just coming out of a tough season, in a tough season, or about to enter into a tough season. Everyone has experienced pain. Everyone has been hurt. When you get hurt you have a choice. Are you going to store it up inside of you and get bitter? Or are you going to choose to learn from the experience and take something positive out of it?
Part of the problem is that we look at others differently than we look at ourselves. We see some people in this glorious light and we think they must be absolutely perfect! I do this thing where I get intimidated by perfect-looking people--guys and girls. I am afraid to go talk to people who look like they have it all together. I figure they don't want to talk to me or meet me, why would they? They probably have all the friends they need. That is horrible thinking! Just because they look like they have it all together doesn't mean they don't want to meet new people. As the old saying goes, don't judge a book by it's cover. But how often do we do that? If we're being really honest with ourselves, I think we do it a lot. Not even on purpose! We just see a group of people and we automatically start to put them in categories in our head. Would you want someone to do that to you? I wouldn't. Confident, outgoing, extroverted people sometimes have the least amount of real friends.
Hurting people hurt people. The next time someone is being a jerk, remember that. And instead of getting offended or irritated, try laughing it off. Maybe later take that person aside and ask them how they're doing. Sometimes all a person wants is for someone to care.
Now, to sum it all up, let's go over a couple things. First, everyone is at least a little bit insecure, even if they seem confident. Second, the ones that are the most confident may very well be the most broken inside (don't judge a book by its cover). Third, the biggest jerks are usually the ones who need a friend the most! Try being extra nice to someone who is mean to you and see what happens.
Remember, the two greatest commandments in the Bible are to love God and to love others. Let's be people who love with everything we have every single day!
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
Now, let's talk about confidence. I had a conversation with my friend today about low self-esteem and insecurity, and it made me wonder how many people out there are cripplingly insecure. How many girls are only pretending to be outgoing and bold? How many guys cover up insecurity with a macho man attitude? Which of the "popular girls" in school really are all they're cracked up to be? How do you know who's really confident and who's faking it? Now, I'm not going to answer all of these questions, because I don't have all the answers. I merely want to discuss some of the how's and why's of these questions.
Why are people insecure? Why do we care so much about what other people think of us? I have been thinking lately about how much we live our lives based on what other people will think of us. If we honestly didn't care at all what people thought of us, we would probably wear the same two pairs of jeans and our three favorite shirts every day of the week! We would still shower and be clean, but ladies, we probably wouldn't blow dry our hair hardly ever (I guess that applies to some guys as well, no shame on you), we wouldn't take the time to straighten it, we wouldn't wear makeup, we wouldn't care about the brand on our clothes, we probably wouldn't even carry a purse anymore because we wouldn't need all the hairspray, lipgloss, chapstick, hair-ties, and things we use it for. Now that's if we absolutely did not care one bit about what people thought about us. Now, that isn't logical. It's healthy to value other's opinions to a point. I would not recommend saying, "Screw you!" to the world and doing whatever you want whenever you want because you just don't care. Not the point here.
My point is, we should ask ourselves this question: How much do you live your life based on what other people will think?
Some people live their lives not thinking too much about building character or becoming a better person. They are who they are and they're fine with that. I am not like that. I am extremely introspective, constantly analyzing why I do what I do, what are my flaws and strengths, how can I grow and become a better person. The negative side of being that way is that I tend to over analyze, and sometimes I forget that not everyone is like me. So I am here to help you think outside of your box. Outside of your comfort zone. It's not comfortable thinking about who you really are sometimes.
I have a theory...I think almost everyone has little broken parts inside of them that they rarely let people see. You're either just coming out of a tough season, in a tough season, or about to enter into a tough season. Everyone has experienced pain. Everyone has been hurt. When you get hurt you have a choice. Are you going to store it up inside of you and get bitter? Or are you going to choose to learn from the experience and take something positive out of it?
Part of the problem is that we look at others differently than we look at ourselves. We see some people in this glorious light and we think they must be absolutely perfect! I do this thing where I get intimidated by perfect-looking people--guys and girls. I am afraid to go talk to people who look like they have it all together. I figure they don't want to talk to me or meet me, why would they? They probably have all the friends they need. That is horrible thinking! Just because they look like they have it all together doesn't mean they don't want to meet new people. As the old saying goes, don't judge a book by it's cover. But how often do we do that? If we're being really honest with ourselves, I think we do it a lot. Not even on purpose! We just see a group of people and we automatically start to put them in categories in our head. Would you want someone to do that to you? I wouldn't. Confident, outgoing, extroverted people sometimes have the least amount of real friends.
Hurting people hurt people. The next time someone is being a jerk, remember that. And instead of getting offended or irritated, try laughing it off. Maybe later take that person aside and ask them how they're doing. Sometimes all a person wants is for someone to care.
Now, to sum it all up, let's go over a couple things. First, everyone is at least a little bit insecure, even if they seem confident. Second, the ones that are the most confident may very well be the most broken inside (don't judge a book by its cover). Third, the biggest jerks are usually the ones who need a friend the most! Try being extra nice to someone who is mean to you and see what happens.
Remember, the two greatest commandments in the Bible are to love God and to love others. Let's be people who love with everything we have every single day!
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Women, listen up. This is about you and love.
Let's talk about feminism. Let's talk about girls pursuing guys. Now there's something I am passionate about.
WHY DO WE DO IT?
Now the world tells us that's normal and fine. But the Bible tells us that the man's role is to be the leader. He should be the initiator. The guy is the one who should have to chase you down to have you! Ladies...why are we lowering our standards?
I am here to tell all the women in this world that no matter what you've done YOU DESERVE PRINCE CHARMING. There really is a prince charming out there for every girl. I know I sound idealistic, but it's true! Our problem is either we think we don't deserve better than the jerk we're with or we're not pretty enough, skinny enough, fun enough, outgoing enough (or some other lie from the devil) to get someone better. Neither of those are true. It says in His Word that He makes all things new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (NLT) And the psalms talk about how His mercies are new every morning. In Romans it talks about how we are no longer bound by the old law. We don't have to be perfect anymore. We are saved by grace. That's why we all "deserve" prince charming, because we aren't judged by the bad things we've done if we believe Christ is our Savior! We don't have to feel ashamed or not good enough for a great guy.
There are so many Christian girls who have given away pieces of their hearts and sexual purity prematurely. Can I just tell you IT'S OKAY. Of course, it was wrong. Of course, you should avoid that and strive for sexual purity. But just because you went too far (which is a very broad term...what exactly is "too far"?) or you had sex, that doesn't mean you have to keep doing it. That doesn't mean you have to settle for a guy who wants to have sex before marriage. You are still allowed to have high standards even if you messed up. Don't let guilt overwhelm you and trick you into believing you only deserve someone who has done what you have done. That is not what God wants for you.
God has forgiven you; shouldn't you forgive yourself?
I am tired of seeing women strive for attention from men to fill that void in them. Most of us don't stop long enough to even realize why we do what we do. We keep busy so we can avoid facing the truth. We fill our lives with stuff. We shop. We eat. We cry. We pick up new hobbies. All to avoid the ugly truth. WE'RE BROKEN. We're hurting and sad and we feel rejection every day in some way or another. We would rather ignore the pain and unfulfillment than deal with it.
I say it's time we take a stand. I say it's time we stop living in our insecurity and conquer it. Whatever you fear has control over you. If you fear other's opinions, they will have control over what you do, how you dress. If you fear rejection, you will never take risks in friendships and relationships. If you fear intimacy and genuine love, you will never open up to someone. You will run away once you start to care too much.
Here's my challenge to you: What small step are you going to take today to conquer your insecurity?
It doesn't have to be something big and daunting. You don't even have to tell anyone or admit that you're insecure. But honestly, if we are all being completely real here, you know there is something you're insecure about. Even if it's just something small. DON'T LET YOUR FEAR CONTROL YOU. I believe in you, dear. When you feel like no one else believes you can conquer your fears, just remember me and this blog.
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
WHY DO WE DO IT?
Now the world tells us that's normal and fine. But the Bible tells us that the man's role is to be the leader. He should be the initiator. The guy is the one who should have to chase you down to have you! Ladies...why are we lowering our standards?
I am here to tell all the women in this world that no matter what you've done YOU DESERVE PRINCE CHARMING. There really is a prince charming out there for every girl. I know I sound idealistic, but it's true! Our problem is either we think we don't deserve better than the jerk we're with or we're not pretty enough, skinny enough, fun enough, outgoing enough (or some other lie from the devil) to get someone better. Neither of those are true. It says in His Word that He makes all things new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (NLT) And the psalms talk about how His mercies are new every morning. In Romans it talks about how we are no longer bound by the old law. We don't have to be perfect anymore. We are saved by grace. That's why we all "deserve" prince charming, because we aren't judged by the bad things we've done if we believe Christ is our Savior! We don't have to feel ashamed or not good enough for a great guy.
There are so many Christian girls who have given away pieces of their hearts and sexual purity prematurely. Can I just tell you IT'S OKAY. Of course, it was wrong. Of course, you should avoid that and strive for sexual purity. But just because you went too far (which is a very broad term...what exactly is "too far"?) or you had sex, that doesn't mean you have to keep doing it. That doesn't mean you have to settle for a guy who wants to have sex before marriage. You are still allowed to have high standards even if you messed up. Don't let guilt overwhelm you and trick you into believing you only deserve someone who has done what you have done. That is not what God wants for you.
God has forgiven you; shouldn't you forgive yourself?
I am tired of seeing women strive for attention from men to fill that void in them. Most of us don't stop long enough to even realize why we do what we do. We keep busy so we can avoid facing the truth. We fill our lives with stuff. We shop. We eat. We cry. We pick up new hobbies. All to avoid the ugly truth. WE'RE BROKEN. We're hurting and sad and we feel rejection every day in some way or another. We would rather ignore the pain and unfulfillment than deal with it.
I say it's time we take a stand. I say it's time we stop living in our insecurity and conquer it. Whatever you fear has control over you. If you fear other's opinions, they will have control over what you do, how you dress. If you fear rejection, you will never take risks in friendships and relationships. If you fear intimacy and genuine love, you will never open up to someone. You will run away once you start to care too much.
Here's my challenge to you: What small step are you going to take today to conquer your insecurity?
It doesn't have to be something big and daunting. You don't even have to tell anyone or admit that you're insecure. But honestly, if we are all being completely real here, you know there is something you're insecure about. Even if it's just something small. DON'T LET YOUR FEAR CONTROL YOU. I believe in you, dear. When you feel like no one else believes you can conquer your fears, just remember me and this blog.
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
Well...
It looks really lame only having one post on my new blog. I was scrolling through some other people's blogs and not everyone writes about profound things. They just chat about life. But honestly...who wants to read about someone else's life? Doesn't really make sense to me. Why would you publish personal things about your life online? Does that seem a little sketch to anyone else? I guess it's no different than facebook, really. But I guess I am going to follow the trend...
I have this problem where I talk too much. It's rare to find someone who's a good listener but also talks a crap-ton, but that's me. I'm hoping that by doing this blog I will get out some of my talking-energy and people won't have to listen to me as much. One downfall of having a blog is that you can't really express your frustrations or talk about your "love" interests. I mean, you could, but that would be akin to opening Pandora's box. Don't want to do that now, do we? Not that I get mad all that frequently, but if I am, I wouldn't want to say it online where everyone can read it. Is that overly-cautious of me?
I just decided in my head that I am not going to write these blogs like I'm writing them for other people. This blog is for me, so if I want to just jabber on about nothing in particular then I will! If you don't want to read it, don't. Sound good to anyone else? Good.
You know what I get frustrated with in life? I get frustrated with myself. You know when you tell yourself you're not going to do something again, and then you do? Or when you say you want to pull away from someone in your life because they're not good for you, but you keep going back to them time after time? Why do we do that? Why do we return to things that are unhealthy? It's like we know what we're doing is harmful to ourselves, but we put ourselves in that position over and over. Then when we come to our senses we kick ourselves for repeating our mistakes. Why do we repeat our mistakes so frequently?
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
I have this problem where I talk too much. It's rare to find someone who's a good listener but also talks a crap-ton, but that's me. I'm hoping that by doing this blog I will get out some of my talking-energy and people won't have to listen to me as much. One downfall of having a blog is that you can't really express your frustrations or talk about your "love" interests. I mean, you could, but that would be akin to opening Pandora's box. Don't want to do that now, do we? Not that I get mad all that frequently, but if I am, I wouldn't want to say it online where everyone can read it. Is that overly-cautious of me?
I just decided in my head that I am not going to write these blogs like I'm writing them for other people. This blog is for me, so if I want to just jabber on about nothing in particular then I will! If you don't want to read it, don't. Sound good to anyone else? Good.
You know what I get frustrated with in life? I get frustrated with myself. You know when you tell yourself you're not going to do something again, and then you do? Or when you say you want to pull away from someone in your life because they're not good for you, but you keep going back to them time after time? Why do we do that? Why do we return to things that are unhealthy? It's like we know what we're doing is harmful to ourselves, but we put ourselves in that position over and over. Then when we come to our senses we kick ourselves for repeating our mistakes. Why do we repeat our mistakes so frequently?
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
You can make a difference
Well here I am sitting in my kitchen designing my first ever blog. Color...okay. About me...wonderful. Blog name...genius =). Design...eh. I'm sure I will be changing the color and design frequently based on my mood or the weather.
Since this is my first post I think I will start by explaining why I decided to start a blog. I go to Puyallup Foursquare Church and our senior pastor, Roger Archer, gave all the staff members a 90 challenge. The staff then extended the challenge to their teams and support staff. We have 90 days to complete, or at least attempt, three challenges--simple, moderate, complex. This blog is my "moderate" challenge. I have always loved to write and I have kept a journal (not really just one, it would be bigger than the Bible by now) since I was in 5th grade, but I have never published my writing or really allowed people to read it. It's going to be quite fun I'm thinking.
Now, in regards to the name of my blog, "Chelsea Lately"...you might be thinking, do you realize that you are committing fraud by using this title? In answer to your question, because I know the thought really did cross your mind, yes, I do realize this. It's catchy and it really is my name so I am going to use it.
The two most important things in life--love God, love people. Let us never forget that. If you're looking for a good book to read that will help you love others more, I recommend, "The Hole in Our Gospel", by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision. He has an incredible testimony and his view on loving your neighbor as yourself is profound. I think in life we get too caught up in ourselves. We want to live our best life, make enough money to be comfortable, make good friends who help us feel better about ourselves, marry the right person for us, elect to office those who best fit what we need...why don't we focus on someone else for a change? Take our attention off our lives and focus it on someone else's. Now, the object of this challenge is not to look at all the problems in the world and get so overwhelmed by our own helplessness that we start to look to our own problems again. The object is to insert yourself into someone else's world and use your personality, money, time, engergy, outlook, morals, wisdom, knowledge to help them overcome obstacles in their life. You can make a difference. Now, if you don't believe you have enough influence to change just one person's life, let me gently correct you. You live in the United States (sorry to anyone who is reading this who doens't); we have access to incredible resources. When we take our focus off of ourselves and direct it toward others we actually will begin to solve our own problems without realizing it! I know it sounds a little out-there, but let me assure you that it works.
So here's my challenge to you: Whose day will be better because you were in it today?
It can be as simple as making someone laugh who's having a bad day, telling someone you love them just in case they don't know, giving food to a homeless person holding a sign even if you don't know for sure if they're homeless, saying a quick prayer for someone, sending an email or text to a friend you haven't talked to in a while. Anything. Let's be selfless for a day. Let's think of others more than we think about ourselves.
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
Since this is my first post I think I will start by explaining why I decided to start a blog. I go to Puyallup Foursquare Church and our senior pastor, Roger Archer, gave all the staff members a 90 challenge. The staff then extended the challenge to their teams and support staff. We have 90 days to complete, or at least attempt, three challenges--simple, moderate, complex. This blog is my "moderate" challenge. I have always loved to write and I have kept a journal (not really just one, it would be bigger than the Bible by now) since I was in 5th grade, but I have never published my writing or really allowed people to read it. It's going to be quite fun I'm thinking.
Now, in regards to the name of my blog, "Chelsea Lately"...you might be thinking, do you realize that you are committing fraud by using this title? In answer to your question, because I know the thought really did cross your mind, yes, I do realize this. It's catchy and it really is my name so I am going to use it.
The two most important things in life--love God, love people. Let us never forget that. If you're looking for a good book to read that will help you love others more, I recommend, "The Hole in Our Gospel", by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision. He has an incredible testimony and his view on loving your neighbor as yourself is profound. I think in life we get too caught up in ourselves. We want to live our best life, make enough money to be comfortable, make good friends who help us feel better about ourselves, marry the right person for us, elect to office those who best fit what we need...why don't we focus on someone else for a change? Take our attention off our lives and focus it on someone else's. Now, the object of this challenge is not to look at all the problems in the world and get so overwhelmed by our own helplessness that we start to look to our own problems again. The object is to insert yourself into someone else's world and use your personality, money, time, engergy, outlook, morals, wisdom, knowledge to help them overcome obstacles in their life. You can make a difference. Now, if you don't believe you have enough influence to change just one person's life, let me gently correct you. You live in the United States (sorry to anyone who is reading this who doens't); we have access to incredible resources. When we take our focus off of ourselves and direct it toward others we actually will begin to solve our own problems without realizing it! I know it sounds a little out-there, but let me assure you that it works.
So here's my challenge to you: Whose day will be better because you were in it today?
It can be as simple as making someone laugh who's having a bad day, telling someone you love them just in case they don't know, giving food to a homeless person holding a sign even if you don't know for sure if they're homeless, saying a quick prayer for someone, sending an email or text to a friend you haven't talked to in a while. Anything. Let's be selfless for a day. Let's think of others more than we think about ourselves.
Faith.Hope.Love.
Chelsea Rae
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